Lansome Field shown in green

In 1970 Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service staff carried out research on a number of fields belonging to Woburn Experimental Farm in Husborne Crawley. This seems to have been prompted by an enquiry from The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Plant Pathology Laboratory about Workhouse Field.

Research on Lansome Field [CRT130HusborneCrawley2] revealed that in 1760 [R1/42] the ground was occupied by fourteen strips of Ransom Furlong, a narrow strip of Mill Way Common, which lay by the side of the access road to Mill Farm and a wider section of the same common immediately south of the farm. The strips were farmed as arable and common, the latter being fairly rough pasture.

In negotiations before Husborne Crawley was inclosed the land formed the second allotment to Thomas Tims. He promptly sold the land in July 1797 to the Duke of Bedford; it was described as containing 15 acres, 3 roods.

By 1820 [R1/43] the northern boundary had been brought south to the line of the mill stream. The stream was diverted to form the entire eastern boundary of the field, too. This created a separate triangle of land which was added to Little Lansome Close. Lansome Close then had an area of 9 acres, 1 rood, 27 poles. In 1876 land was added to the field to make it up to 9 acres, 3 roods, 1 pole.

Cropping books forming part of the estate archive of the Duke of Bedford [R4/209, 215, 223 and 229]. They show cropping as follows:

• 1866: barley;
• 1867: peas;
• 1868: wheat;
• 1869: fallow;
• 1870: barley;
• 1871: beans;
• 1872: barley;
• 1873: fallow;
• 1874: barley;
• 1875: clover;
• 1876: wheat;
• 1877: fallow;
• 1878: barley;
• 1879: clover;
• 1880: ½ wheat, ½ barley;
• 1881: tares;
• 1882; experimental uses;
• 1883: peas;
• 1884: experimental uses and wheat;
• 1885: fallow and peas;
• 1886: fallow and barley in the ratio 4:10;
• 1887: pasture and clover;
• 1888: hay and wheat;
• 1889: hay and roots;
• 1890: grazed and oats;
• 1891: hay and barley;
• 1892: grazed, peas and roots;
• 1893: grazed and barley;
• 1894: hay, peas, oats and clover;
• 1895: wheat and barley in the ratio 8;1½ ;
• 1896: barley and roots in the ratio 1:1;
• 1897: wheat and barley in the ratio 7:2;
• 1898: clover;
• 1899: oats; 1900: roots;
• 1901: barley;
• 1902: beans, pulses and clover in the ratio 3:2:4;
• 1903: wheat and clover in the ratio 5:4;
• 1904: experimental uses and barley;
• 1905: experimental uses, tares and barley;
• 1906: experimental uses, wheat and clover in the ratio 1:6½:2;
• 1907: experimental uses, roots and potatoes in the ratio 1:5:3½;
• 1908: experimental uses and wheat;
• 1909: experimental uses, wheat and roots in the ratio 1:5:3½.